A national environmental correspondent during the last decade of her 28 years at The New York Times, Felicity provided an in-depth look at the adoption of AB 32, California’s landmark climate-change bill after covering state’s carbon reduction carbon policies. more »

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Articles Worth Reading: March 21, 2018

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Privatizing public streams in New Mexico (barbed wire optional); the benefits of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone; as Kansas farmers use less groundwater, the decline of part of the Ogalla aquifer slows; the Tohono O'odham straddle the border between southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, the needs of controlling the border also split generations; California sea otters cannot expand their range since sharks hem them in; and other highlights of environmental news from around the West this week.

New Mexico's State Government, Allied With Landowners and Outfitters Against Fishermen, kayakers, canoeists, lets property owners certify the public streams crossing their land as private property. Those sections of public waters are then no longer a place where people can fish, paddle or float. A 2015 New Mexico law, made concrete last December, gives them license to do so. "Prohibiting access from the public is privatizing what has been historically ours, and the way this happened is chilling," said Robert Levin, the New Mexico director of the American Canoe Association. The Guardian

Is Relentless Decline of Ogallala Aquifer Inevitable? Maybe Not. Stretching from South Dakota to Texas, the aquifer has been, for decades, the subject of stories of overpumping, and dark indications that things are going too far. But some 60 Kansas farmers realized the continued pumping could mean their piece of the aquifer might effectively be tapped out before their heirs had a chance to work the family land. They agreed to cut water withdrawals by 20 percent per year through 2017. The self-restraint was a test of farming skills they thought they could pass. A pair of recent economic and hydrological assessments by Kansas State University and the Kansas Geological Survey showed pumping restrictions did not damage farm profitability, and they aided the aquifer. Circle of Blue

The Border Splits the Tohono O'Odham Tribe, and the Border Controls Attitudes split Tonhono O'ogham generations. The older generation is more willing to cooperate with the federal government, and with a track record of supporting and enhancing border security. Some of the younger, activist and idealist generation is eager to put tribal sovereignty above the needs of the federal government. They are aggressively opposed to the militarization of their reservation. And then, there are those in between, like Art Wilson, Tohono O'odham legislative councilman, who likes the security of the existing fence, but is upset to be separated from relatives in Mexico. . "It's complicated," he said. High Country News

The Reintroduction of Wolves to Yellowstone National Park Had Benefits Beyond those of revitalized wolf packs. "We're just uncovering these effects of large carnivores at the same time their populations are declining and are at risk," said William Ripple, an ecologist at Oregon State University. The Yellowstone reintroduction helped an entire ecosystem, studies show. In the places where they returned, wolves tidied up explosive deer and elk populations and helped bring back trees and shrubs. Birds and beavers, as well as the animals that live in dams, also returned. The New York Times

Sea Otters’ Comeback Success Hampered by Sharks. For decades, numbers of otters, protected by endangered species laws, have mostly increased, swelling to 3,200 individuals. But their range appears to be constrained. The otters can't seem to survive farther north than Santa Cruz or south of Santa Barbara. Their burgeoning numbers and restricted territory have led to overcrowding and, in some cases, starvation and death. Why can't they widen their territory? Studies indicate that sharks won't let them. Hakai Magazine

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A Lawsuit Brought Against the Federal Government by the Yurok Tribe Was Blocked when a federal court, which affirmed the government's decision to limit water flows on the Klamath River. Attorneys representing the Yurok had argued that diminished water flows would threaten Coho Salmon habitat near the river’s mouth. The ruling, a blow to Yurok efforts to preserve traditional salmon fishing, comes in the wake of mass fish die-offs due to bacterial infections. E&E News

A Series of Interstate Water Disputes Looms Over the Supreme Court.Texas v. New Mexico, an upcoming case on Pecos River floodwater storage, appears to be the first of a new breed of showdowns over water rights in the West. In the lineup for high court review is a separate case pitting Texas against New Mexico and Colorado over water distribution from the Rio Grande. The impact of climate change is being felt in all the rivers under dispute. E&E News

Bureaucratic Roadblocks Remain an Obstacle to Reparations Claims more than half a century after the end of nuclear testing in the West. Even as the legacy of radiation exposure continues to sicken downwind communities, relief under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act — which is set to expire in 2022 — remains elusive for Indigenous families, who often lack the formal documents required to apply. High Country News

Lakota Activists Looking Toward the Next Battle to Protect Indigenous Land — in this case against the proposed Dewey-Burdock uranium mine. The Canadian-owned project in South Dakota’s Black Hills has stirred controversy from the start, owing to water-intensive mining practices, and the sacred history of the land it would cover. Activists hope that by continuing to draw out the legal battle over the mine’s permit, they can discourage investors from supporting construction — and set an important precedent for conservation efforts nationwide. Mother Jones

The Southwest Is Suffering From the First Anthropogenic Megadrought on record. The drought, which has ravaged the region for two decades, is the second-worst in the last 1,000 years, according to extensive analysis of tree-ring data. Researchers believe that strict regulations on water usage are a first step towards coping with the crisis, but that without broader efforts to combat climate change, such droughts will become increasingly frequent and intense. The Washington Post

Farmworkers across the West Classified as Essential Workers but excluded them from aid payments. Roughly half of farmworkers are unauthorized and ineligible for stimulus checks; two-thirds remain uninsured even as their employers accept nearly ten billion in stimulus money earmarked for agriculture. The vast majority of ranchers and growers have failed to provide paid sick leave or best practice guidelines for their employees. Reveal News

Biologists Fight Government Efforts to Remove Lynx Protections in the Pacific Northwest. A Washington state survey of lynx populations revealed that habitat destroyed by forest fires in 2018 has yet to be recolonized — and that warming temperatures create a vicious cycle in which that habitat becomes less suitable. Though the exact number of wild lynx in the region remains unknown, researchers believe that southern populations in Colorado, Montana, and Idaho could be wiped out without continued protection. The New York Times

Shale Oil Producers Across the West are Shuttering in the face of plummeting oil prices. A global surplus coupled with non-existent demand has sent crude oil prices to new lows, causing major producers to close fracking installations and sending thousands of family-owned operations into bankruptcy. The Guardian

Billions of Birds Could Die as the Trump administration moves to roll back the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Bipartisan condemnation of the decision — which would reverse a hundred years of regulations — has failed to shake corporate support for the rule change. One industry leader suggested “the birds themselves are the actors.” Associated PressThe Seattle Times

On the Navajo Nation, a Serious Spike in COVID-19 Deaths, as local officials scramble to respond. Authorities have enacted curfews, set up checkpoints, and airlifted medical equipment into rural communities as epidemiologists warn that risk factors — like limited access to running water, the large number of background health conditions, and multigenerational households — could exacerbate the disease’s spread and intensity in the region. The New York Times

Wildlife Is Rebounding in Yosemite amid the park's longest closure in modern history. Animal populations typically relegated to less-trafficked parts of the park are enjoying the lack of visitors, with hotel staff observing large increases in the numbers of bears, bobcats, and other predators. Los Angeles Times

Farm-to-Table Supply Chains Have Come Undone n the wake of the coronavirus’s spread, sowing uncertainty among restaurant owners and farmers alike. Once an obscure pipe dream, the farm-to-table industry generated $12 billion in 2019; now, with restaurant, university, and corporate closures, demand has collapsed, and farmers are struggling to adapt. As individuals become the main supporters of local farms, the increase in labor-intensive packaging and distribution is crushing profits, and leaving some low-skilled workers behind. The New York Times

Arizona Is Sinking thanks to both rising temperatures and the exhaustion of groundwater resources. Scientists at the University of Arizona say that massive subsidence zones — fissures that swallow infrastructure and livestock — are appearing around the state, as hotter air evaporates groundwater and withers plants, making agriculture more water-intensive. And the problem will only get worse: “Even the most moderate warming projection" would cause an annual loss in groundwater volume equivalent to the contents of Lake Powell. High Country News

California Has Approved the Largest Dam Removal Project in history. PacifiCorp, which operates the four dams along the Klamath River that are set for removal, plans to transfer ownership to a nonprofit that will oversee the $450 million project. Local tribes cheered the decision, which ideally will restore the Klamath’s salmon runs. But landowners remain opposed, fearing the removal would lower property values. E&E News

The Economics of California Farming Could Be Upended as the new coronavirus begins to infect farmworkers and continues to shut restaurant customers. One sixth-generation farmer told California’s Public Policy Information Center, “The big concern going forward is the virus going through our workforce. The disruptions of food supply we’re seeing in stores right now is caused by … difficulty keeping shelves stocked. But if there’s disruption on farms—if crops don’t get harvested in time or the logistics for getting food to market go down, that would be much scarier.” PPIC

Sheltering May Affect Wildlife as human-wildlife interactions decrease. Three mountain lions have been spotted in residential neighborhoods in north Boulder, Colorado, causing some surprise. Experts are unsure how quarantine will affect wildlife patterns overall. Boulder Daily Camera

See the most detailed survey ever done of crops and land use in California. It covers nine million acres of land devoted to grapes, alfalfa, cotton, plums, you name it – food for people and animals all over the world.View map »

A look at the energy sources California utilities have used gives us insights into the state’s progress in decarbonizing its electricity supply. In 2015, 35% of total electricity generation (in-state generation plus imported electricity) came from zero-greenhouse-gas sources, which include solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear.View Graphic »

Conservation easements of various kinds cover more than 22 million acres of land in the United States, according to the National Conservation Easement Database, a public-private partnership. Take a look at our interactive map of nearly every conservation easement, with details on over 130,000 sites.View map »

Desalination – the conversion of saltwater to freshwater – has been limited by high operational costs. A new device capable of turning desalination waste into commercially valuable chemicals could make the process cheaper and more environmentally friendly.